{"id":369024,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:07","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/litigation\/legal-system\/class-action-cases.html"},"modified":"2024-05-23T09:34:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T14:34:58","slug":"class-action-cases","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/litigation\/legal-system\/class-action-cases.html","title":{"rendered":"Class Action Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n

Class Action Cases<\/h1>\n
\n
\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
\n

This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
\n

The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Trials and negotiations take time and can be expensive. It’s bad enough when one person needs to file a suit against a corporate defendant, but what happens when many people need to sue the corporation for pretty much the same reason? Is it effective for tens of thousands of cases to fill the courts with nearly identical cases?<\/p>\r\n

The obvious answer is no. Courts prefer the class action<\/a> lawsuit. In a class action suit, a group of people with similar injuries file suit against a defendant as a single plaintiff. This reduces the number of court cases and prevents litigants from trying the same issues over and over again.<\/p>\r\n

Class action lawsuits are often filed in defective product cases<\/a>, consumer protection issues, securities fraud, price-fixing instances, deceptive business practices, and wage and hour disputes<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

Why Do We Need Class Action Lawsuits?<\/h2>\r\n

In some cases, such as product liability cases, individual claimants may not suffer the harm that requires legal action. For instance, if a car engine part is defective, some claimants may discover the faulty part before suffering any physical harm. They suffer the annoyance and expense of replacing the part and perhaps some vehicle damage.<\/p>\r\n

On the other hand, some claimants won’t learn of the defect until their engine fails at high speed on the freeway. They may suffer serious injury or even death. All these individuals are victims of the same product defect. It’s common to expect accident victims to think of legal action, but others are eligible as well. A class action suit should be filed if enough accidents and other problems are due to the engine part.<\/p>\r\n

Types of class action lawsuits<\/h3>\r\n

In a class action lawsuit, there are too many plaintiffs to join and participate on an individual basis. Claimants may request class certification, but the court has the final say. When making a class determination, courts consider:<\/p>\r\n